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King's heating And air is A y five partner Of
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Local leaders the. Podcast hey, everyone and welcome back To
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Local leaders the. Podcast i'm very proud and excited to
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have sitting across from, Me Senator Rick, edmunds who is
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the Sixth District senator In. Louisiana so before we go any,
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FURTHER i want to say welcome to The Local leaders of.
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Podcasts, well thank. You i'm excited to be. Here it's
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my first podcast with.
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You, yeah there you. Go maybe we'll make this an ongoing.
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Thing we're gonna make it out of.
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It so you are AS i, said the Sixth District
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senator For.
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Louisiana and Today i'm gonna take the, people the listeners
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that maybe are not as familiar with.
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You we're gonna take them on a little ride like
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this is your.
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Life let's do. It so you grew up in SHREPORT
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i did you? Know it was a great city to
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grow up. In my dad And cindy's dad were both
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best friends in little town on The Arkansas louisiana border
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Called Plane. Dealing, Yes i've, heard he's a real town
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played In. Louisiana they, were they were in high school.
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Together oh. Wow my dad was a little short quarterback
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and her dad was a, big scrapping fullback and he
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went On Louisiana tech got all these education. Stuff my
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dad came To shreveport and went to work At libyan's
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word glass factory and later on started a business Called
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Louisiana Fence, Company and all along the way we would
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see her. Dad he was Of Heights school football official
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and a baseball and all that, stuff AND i played
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sports and we'd See my dad never called HIM. Jb
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he always called Him. Hawkeye that was nickname from high.
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School and THEN i ended. Up that whole story says
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THAT i ended up with that guy being my father in,
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law WHICH i never CALLED. JB i called him Big. Daddy.
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Sure he was about five ten two forty five and,
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wow and married to his. Daughter we've been married our
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whole adult. Life we've done nothing since. Teenagers, yeah we've
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got four sons and four beautiful daughter in, laws eight.
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Grandchildren we are blessed and highly. Favored eight.
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Grandchildren that's. Awesome you, KNOW i have no grandchildren.
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YET i have a son and two daughters who were
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getting close to the age where grandchildren will start coming.
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Along BUT i always hear from people that do have
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grandchildren that it's a whole different.
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World BUT i love your, Kids but why do you
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love your?
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Grandkids you love him because he AND i can only
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tell you this when you get, eight it's you'd better
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watch out for birthdays because it'll break you in the.
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Wallet because whatever they, want you're going to do your
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best to get it for. Him that's what's gonna.
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Happen that's a great. Point you mentioned your, Wife, cindy.
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Who you affectionately said off the off the, RECORD i
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guess you could say that when they meet, her you,
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know you're much like.
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Me you kind of disappear in the background a little,
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bit almost like they say In New, york forget about,
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it because you're gonna be With. Cindy she is, like
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never meets a. Stranger her dad was that. Way, yeah
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you just never met a. Stranger he was a great, educator,
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coach all of that kind of. Stuff and so she
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just that. Person she's just full of life and she's
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my love of my.
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Life, yeah and high school sweetheart fifty plus years close
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to fifty.
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Years, right very, good.
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She says she still likes me.
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Too, yeah that's look and that's a pretty good. Deal,
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absolutely you've done a good, job.
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Sir so you you moved. On you eventually graduate From
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East Texas Baptist. Universe you also have a is it
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an honorary doctorate From New Orleans Theological, Seminary.
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And all of our divinity work was done In New,
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orleans which is kind of like a law degree for. Theology,
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YEAH i graduated From New Orleans Baptist Theological. SEMINARY a
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lot of, words but, yeah it's a great, school a,
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tremendous very conservative theological. Education my undergraduate work was the.
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SAME i graduated with A bachelor Of arts degree in
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that particular, school but also Did english and history as
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my double. Minor so you, Know i've been blessed to be.
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Educated my dad finished with eleven years And i'm the
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First edmunds of the anywhere in the whole family tree
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that graduated from any university and then certainly not doing
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a doctoral work and master's work and all that. Stuff
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but that was just sort of the way it fell
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in my. Lap my parents told ME i could do,
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anything be, anything and treated me That i'm an only.
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Child SO i tell people in church all the time
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when because they Know i'm an only, child AND i,
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say just get over. It so BECAUSE i was, spoiled
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AND i, AM i, MEAN i am. Spoiled my parents have,
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passed known them gone to, heaven and you, know but,
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man it was never a day that they didn't treat
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me LIKE i was like the greatest. Winner, yeah So
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i've been blessed with just such great. Confidence they did.
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IT i mean they just. Did my mother was my greatest. Teacher,
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YEAH i mean there was NO i could go outside
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and play and played all the sports and, everything but
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when it was time to, study he come in the.
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HOUSE i mean it was she drilled me on, vocabulary math.
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FACTS i mean it was until it was perfect, Sure
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and that's HOW i grew. Up it's just education was
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super high important to my, parents and my mother just
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was a phenomenal. Teacher she didn't have a. Degree, yeah
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she was a great, teacher.
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Wonderful and you obviously faith big part of your. Life
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even at that early.
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Age, well you, KNOW i felt called to. MINISTRY i
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don't have any grandfathers or great, grandfathers don't have anybody in,
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ministry BUT i felt very. Strong one of my best
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friends in high school who was an absolute reprobate rock
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and roll guitar, player long, hair blue, JEANS i, mean
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the whole bit looks like exactly what you'd. Picture and
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he got dramatically. Saved and my mother told, me she, said,
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Hey gil's going to be speaking at the church on
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one Of friday, Night monday, night whatever night he. Was
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AND i, said oh, no, no, no Not, Gil and she,
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said oh, Yeah gil's gonna be, speaking AND i just
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didn't believe it was. TRUE i had to go see
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it to believe, it and he. Was he'd been dramatically,
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changed AND i listened to him AND i just felt
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Like god was speaking to me and, said this is
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WHAT i can do with your. Life And i've done
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ministry my whole adult, life sending And i've been in
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multiple churches and on the road in thirty states or
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during our early. Years so it's just been. Great i'd
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have to stay on your podcast multiples to tell you
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how BLESSED i am ready for.
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It and you've obviously done a lot of mission work as,
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well all over the.
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All over the. World, yeah never been anywhere my, parents
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never been on an airplane until UNTIL i ended up
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getting on a plane and going To. Israel that was
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one of the first PLACES i ever, landed and then
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from into center part Of africa and halfway Down Central,
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america and JUST i mean it's. Unbelievable. Yeah some people
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ask me to, say what's your favorite mission? TRIP i
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go all of, them every one of. Them it was.
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Everyone every one of them has been.
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Amazing, Yeah and you KNOW i say often that people
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that don't realize how good they have it in this.
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Country have usually never been to a country that doesn't
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have it so.
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Good or when you when you see a little woman
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that's A, christian, woman got great, faith and she's sweeping
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the dirt floor in her you, know ten by ten,
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house and the only electricity she's ever seen is an
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extension court just running two hundred feet to somewhere she
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can get to get something in her. House and that's her.
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House and she's trying to keep her dirt floor. Clean
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and that's not an. Exaggeration and you look up and, think,
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man that's. Faith AND i remember that little. Lady she
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was In Central, america and all the things she asked
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for she, SAID i had a translator and the only
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thing she wanted was was Some bibles for all of her.
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Family and we got several Thousand bibles and shipped them to,
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her AND i had a person there that could distribute
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and we put them out for an area that was
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about fifty. Thousand people didn't get them, all but we
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got a bunch of them in, there and that's all she.
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Wanted she didn't ask for any, money she didn't ask for,
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food she ask for. Anything she's asked for. Bibles, unbelievable
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isn't that? Crazy?
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Yeah, yeah and it'll change your, life saying something, like,
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yeah you. Bet So we're going to fast forward a little,
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bit and you, know you live this life of faith
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and very important to. You and at some, POINT i
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think it was somewhere around twenty, fifteen you Decide i'm
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going to run for a political.
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Seat, yeah for.
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The state Of.
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Louisiana tell me about that verse what what motivated?
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You all? Right so this is it takes me a second,
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here but this really crazy STORY i got. It i'm
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sitting in waiting in between multiple, services And i'm looking
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at a magazine and it's Got Phil robertson on the
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front of, It Duck Dynasty, louisiana Right Northeast. Louisiana and
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there he. Is he's being torn apart about His Duck
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dynasty program and he will not compromise his. Faith And
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i'm sitting there reading the article in between church, services
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AND i felt like The lord, said you're not doing,
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enough and, MAN i just, said, well, YEAH i Mean
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I'm i'm working hard, here you, Know AND i just
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felt you're not doing. Enough AND i stepped away from
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that and stepped. In AND i never planned on it
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being that. Way it wasn't. REALLY i didn't have a.
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Strategy BUT i came home and was watching the guy
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that was in my. AREA i didn't think that the
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vote was going the way it should and spend a
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lot of time losing the. Legislature AND i came home
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after a couple of months of, that AND i Told,
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CINDY i, said you, know if this doesn't, Change i'm
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gonna run for state. Presentative and in twenty, FIFTEEN i
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ran for state representative against the incumbent and was. Successful,
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Wow and as soon AS i got, IN i was
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immediately appointed by then the chairman of The Appropriations committee's
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name Was Cameron, henry and he called. ME i was
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In Reagan airport and doing a little work in D.
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C and he, said, HEY i need. You i'm a,
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Freshman i'm not serving on any, committees And i'm about
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to make my. Request AND i wasn't going to ask
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for appropriations is the strongest most powerful position in state, government,
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really and he called, me he, SAID i need. YOU
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i need your on appropriations. Committee AND i WENT i
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just had he called. Me i'm not a man with
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a little. Words but he got me and he, said he, goes,
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look it's going to take a big ass so don't
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don't don't worry about. It if you know, this this
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ask is going to take a lot of your. Time
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AND i, said, well let, me you, know pray a
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very real quick AND i. Did AND i called him
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back and he, said oh. Good being The speaker of
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The house office tomorrow, MORNING i was in D. C
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i'm flying in. Late got to be at ten. O'CLOCK
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i was there at ten. O'clock. Wow and it changed
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my whole. LIFE i mean really it was POLITICALLY i became.
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Involved now this is my eleventh, year starting my year number.
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Eleven it was in the legislature And i've been on
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appropriations the whole. Time same thing over in The. Senate
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Now i'm chairman of The Senate Education. Committee all this
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JUST i can't explain it for. You, YEAH i, MEAN
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i Just i'm that. BLESSED i know it sounds like
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a stretch for. PEOPLE i know it.
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00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:26.799
Does OH i did.